1. Field
This disclosure is generally related to wireless networks. More specifically, this disclosure is related to a method and system for improving transmission efficiency in a wireless link.
2. Related Art
In recent years, the phenomenal growth of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablet computers, has resulted in a huge demand in wireless networks. Particularly, Wi-Fi networks, which are based on the IEEE-802.11 family of standards, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous.
In conventional wired layer-2 networks such as 10base-T, 100base-T, or 1000base-T Ethernet, transmission of a packet is typically not followed by an acknowledgement from the receiver. Reliable data delivery depends on upper layer protocols, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), to acknowledge the sender of received data packets, and to ensure that the sender retransmits a packet in the event of a failed transmission.
Wireless networks such as IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac networks, however, require explicit acknowledgement from the receiver for every packet due to the unreliable nature of the communication medium. In addition, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac networks use carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) before beginning any transmission in order to avoid collision with other transmitters. These requirements often lead to low transmission efficiency in IEEE 802.11 wireless links.